Folding-machine.



S. G. GRANT.

FOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED rm. 7, 1911.

1,1 16,415. Patented N0v.1o,1914

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S. G. GRANT.

FOLDING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED rma, 1911.

1, 1 1 6,41 5, Patented Nov.10, 1914.

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THE NORR'IS PETERS CO PHOTO-LH'HO., WASHINGUN. D. C

` nrurnn srarns Param" ordnen.

SIDNEY GEORGE GRANT, OF Ii-EICESTER,

ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO UNIII'IIID` SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF `PAZLERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

T0 all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, SIDNEY G. GRANT, a subject of the King of England, residing at Leicester, Leicestershire, England, have .invented certain Improvements in Folding- Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the `accompanying drawings,` is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to folding machines and particularly to the type of folding machines which areillustrated in the United States patent to Quentin IV. Booth eh al., No.i695,438,` dated `lvarch 1S, 1902. It has been found that in machines of this type at present in use it is extremely difficult to operate upon work of a certain shape. l/Vhen the edge of the work to be folded is approximately at right anglesto the direction of movement of the reciprocating folding members no difliculty occurs but as it is frequently the case that there is a considerable curvature `so that portions of the edges of the Work lie at only a small inclination to the direction of movement of the folding members then the folded over portion of the material is apt to be stretched out at certain parts and to form bunches at others, thus giving to the folded edge a want of uniformity in thickness and an inelegant ap-` pearance. In certain cases the `outline of the material lies `in parts at such a small angle to the direction of movement of the folding members that it is practicallyimpossible to use machines of this type to perform the foldingoperation. It would therefore be advantageous if the folding members could be so formed and guided as to appreach the edge of the material approximately perpendicularly, and an object of the present invention is so to form and guide those edges of the members which are farthest from the desired "condition as to `cause them to approximate more nearly to it.

To this end the present invention contem-` plates the provision of means for `folding the marginal portion of leatheror other sheet material, having two shaped folding members that are adapted to approach and overlap one another at their working edges, one or each of the said members having a section or sections so mounted and actuated Speeication of Letters Patent.

FOLDING-MACHINE.

as to move in a direction at an angle to the direction of approach of the members.

;l"referably the said sections may be pivoted leach to its respective member and may be actuated in its motion relatively to the said member by a cam, but it is within the scope of the invention to mount the sections in any other manner which will give the required result.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan showing a portion of a folding machine of the type above referred to, wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view showing the folding members and sections engaging the work to be folded; and Fig. 3 illustrates the same parts at the end of the folding operation. i

The machine of the type shown in said patent comprises a table l on which the work to be folded is laid, a holder 2 to hold the work upon the table and to carry the former plate 3, which plate determinesthe `line of fold ofthe work 20. The former plate 3 is carried by the holder 2` by a plurality of headed screws passing loosely through appropriate slots in the former plate and engaging tapped sockets in the holder in the usual manner, so that the yformer plate may be reciprocated relatively with the holder to the extent permitted by the length of the slots. The heads of the screws contact with the work underneath the former plate and thereby hold the work 20 in position on the table while the former plate is moved forward to form the line of fold andafterward retracted to permit the completion of the fold. `The folder member 5 operates upon the werk to form and to complete the fold as shown in said Booth patent.

In the embodiment of the invention about to be described which is intended to act on material having a contour of edge that has considerable concavity the former plate has in `its contour a recess of similar depth and shape while the folder has a corresponding convexity. Vhen the folder 5 is arranged for operation upon material having such a recess, by having a cportion or portions of its contour interme iate between its ends approximately parallel to or at a comparatively small angle to the direction of move- Patented Nov. 10, 1914.1 Application filed February 7, 1911. Serial No. 607,157.

ment of the folding members, the said folder has recesses 6 formed in said portions. In each recess is pivoted a section or auxiliary folder 8 which when forced back into its innermost position in the said recess will, with its edge and the edges of its carrying member 5, approximately complete the contour required to be formed along the edge of. the material. When, however, a section is swung about its `pivot 9 into its outermost or fold-pressing position its outer edge will be moved in a direction more nearly perpendicular to the edge of the material it is acting on than it would be by the movement merely of its carrying member.

Each section 8 has a cam slot l0 cut in it preferably near that end farthest from the end at which it is pivoted. Entering this cam slot is a pin 12 fixed to some relatively stationary part of the machine. The arrangement of the section, its pivot, cam slot, and pin, is such that when the folding members are in their retracted positions each section 8 will be in its innermost position in the recess 6. ln the operation of the machine, as the members move forward to fold the edge of the material inwardly preparatory to pressing the fold the section is moved by the cam slot and pin about its pivot toward its outermost position, and will arrive at the said outermost position when the members have finished their folding action. Thus the resultant motion of the sec- Y tion 8 obtained by compounding the motion of the folder 5 as a whole with the motion which the section has relatively to the folder is more nearly perpendicular to the edge of the material being folded than it would have been had the section been absent. In this manner the fold produced is more even both as regards thickness and appearanceV than the fold produced by the machine of said patent, and moreover the material is not damaged or torn by the dragging of the edge as would formerly have been the case. Vhen the folding' members are retracted again the cam slot and pin will return the section to its first position ready to commence a new folding operation. It will be obvious that it is advantageous to provide one of these sections at each portion of the folder that approaches nearly to parallelism with the direction of movement of the folder and it is contemplated that this will be done. Although some advantage would be gained by providing only the folder with such sections it is preferable that the second of the folding members, namely, the former plate, also be provided with corresponding sections at those portions of its edge corresponding to the portions of the folder which are so provided. These sections, however, being in the side of the former plate instead of in the side of the folder, will commence the folding operation in their outermost position and finish in their innermose position but the resultant motion will as before be more nearly perpendicular to the direction of movement of the members.

In the present construction the former plate 2 has formed in it two recesses 7 in each of which a section 4e is pivoted at 14. Each section l has a cam slot 15 and a pin 16 that is fixed to the holder 2 and that as it remains stationary while the former plate moves -forward to withdraw from the fold in the work gives the section the necessary movement about its pivot.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is :d

1. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a folder having a curved outline corresponding to that of the edge of the piece of material to be folded, said folder being provided with recesses located in its edge to the rear of its forward portion, auxiliary folders pivoted in said recesses and means responsive to the forward movement of said folder for swinging said auxiliary folders in opposite directions of angular movement about their respective pivots.

2. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a folder having a curved outline corresponding to that of the edge of the piece of material to be folded, said folder being provided with recesses located in its edge to the rear of its forward portion, auxiliary folders movably mounted in said recesses, and means responsive to the forward movement of said folder for effecting an outward movement of said. auxiliary folders.

3. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a reciprocating folder, a reciprocating former over which said folder moves, said former having recesses in its edge, auxiliary formers located in said recesses and means responsive to bodily movement of said former for effecting a separating movement of said auxiliary formers.

t. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a reciprocating folder,

a reciprocatory former over which said folder moves, there being formed in said folder and former recesses located opposite to each other, an auxiliary folder located in a recess in the folder and an auxiliary former in an opposite recess in the former and means responsive to the movements of said folder and former in a given direction for moving said auxiliary folder and former in a different direction.

5. In a machine for folding the curved margin of a piece of material, a main folder having an outline which corresponds to the outline of said curved margin, said folder being provided with a recess, and an auxiliary folder located in said recess, said auxdiiferent direction.

liery folder being provided with a slot, a. naine to this specification in the presence of stationary pin located in said slot, a pivot two subscribing witnesses.

connecting said folders, and means for mov- SIDNEY GEORGE GRANT ing` said main folder in a given direction and thereby swlnglng sald auxlllary folder 1n a. Witnesses:

KATHERINE PEXTON,

In testimony whereof I have signed my ELEANoR PYWELL.

copies of this patent may be obtained for iive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. i 

